Each year on March 1st, sanctuaries and their supporters celebrate National Pig Day. This special day is an important reminder to challenge the misconceptions baked into our culture. Today, we explore the misunderstood nature of pigs, while celebrating their intelligent, emotive, and sentient lives.

Beanie and DJ often together

Scientific research indicates that pigs are among the smartest land animals. What does pig intelligence look like? Pigs possess cognitive abilities similar to dogs and young children, demonstrating self-awareness in mirrors, object and person discrimination, time perception, and memory/spatial learning.

Not only are pigs intelligent, they are curious, playful, and social creatures. Pigs form deep, life-long bonds with others, often transcending their own species. If you’re lucky enough to befriend a pig, they can pick you out of a crowd using sight, sound, smell, touch, and social cues.

Beanie and Dolphin when they were babies

Who runs the world? Girls! At home, pigs form matriarchal hierarchies. These dominant females are large and in charge, getting the best food and superior sleeping spots. In this socially complex pig society, individuals use over 20 unique vocalizations to communicate with one another.

Mozza!

Pigs are homesteaders, as well as explorers. Pigs create warm nests from straw or hay for themselves and loved ones. A comfy bedtime routine is crucial after thoroughly enjoying the day with play. Pigs are inventive in their playtime; engaging in mock fights and chasing with other pigs, or carrying and shaking objects like balls and sticks.

A common misconception in pigs is that they are filthy. Like you and me, pigs prefer to keep their eating and sleeping areas separate from their toilet. You may have also heard the phrase coined, “don’t eat like a pig”. Pigs root around for food with their snouts, foraging for a variety of goodies growing in their environment. Their diet mostly consists of greens, vegetables, and fruits. In reality, everyone should eat like a pig!

Pepper and Shirley snuggling

At JP Farm Animal Sanctuary, we champion pigs as bright individuals. The six pigs in our residence are ambassadors of their species, paying homage to pigs around the world who have never known a safe place. Beanie-Tofu and Dolphin were the first wiggley-tailed friends to call JP home. These girls were saved from going to a feedlot after being raised and trained in a college agriculture program. Their first parents (the students) highlight their distinct personalities as piglets: “Dolphin was always super energetic and friendly with a big personality” while Beanie’s advocate, and one of our original caregivers, shares, “I picked Beanie because she was the calmest one. All the other piglets would swarm you..”.

We challenge you today, and every day, to question the world around you. Negative stereotypes perpetuate cruel practices and everyday detachment. From personal research to meeting a pig firsthand, it is up to us to take a closer look at these lively farm animals. Come visit us this summer, and share a transformative experience of lulling a pig to sleep with a good belly rub!

Want to give back and become an animal advocate for National Pig Day? Meet some JP residents that would love to call you their sponsor. By symbolically adopting a pig, you are contributing to their care and right to safe spaces. Thank you for supporting our rescued pigs, through adoption or taking the time to truly understand their magnificence!

With love for pigs,
Ashley the caregiver

Would you like to be a part of the sanctuary community? Sign up for our newsletter, write to us, share our sanctuary with others, volunteer or make a donation.

At JP Farm Animal Sanctuary, love and kindness spreads like wildflowers. JP residents have the freedom and comfort to live on their own terms. Despite their tragic beginnings, they choose to love and trust again. Their deep connections inspire us to open our hearts to new beginnings.

Here we highlight some special relationships taking root and blossoming on the farm.

Victor & the Golden Girls

After losing the companionship of one partner and then a flock of hens, Victor spent some lonely days on his stoop. Soon after, the four vivacious Golden Girls came to his rescue (as they were rescued themselves). This recent group of hens give Victor a renewed sense of purpose as their loyal protector. As a true gentleman, Victor guards the hens while they eat their breakfast and dinner, and will even give them his grapes. They have enough love to share with you too, as they follow anyone walking along the fence and run to greet their human friends.

Beanie Tofu & Dolphin

Beanie Tofu and Dolphin, or the Pink Girls, found comfort in one another as piglets. Their bond grew with them into adulthood. At the sanctuary, you will find them snouts up waiting for a corn or peanut treat. On warm days they cool off with a spa in their mud bath, and on cold nights they sleep together in a pig pile to share warmth. Although Dolphin has trouble seeing, she feels the love of Beanie Tofu whenever she is near.

Bruce & Evan

Bruce and Evan, lovingly called the Boys, have been best buds since they were calves. Spending almost their entire life at JP, these playful steers have a special corner of the sanctuary to themselves. Every morning, Evan joins Bruce in their pasture for a day filled with exploration, fresh hay, and naps. When they’re feeling mischievous, they work together to knock over all the hay bins. They love to watch their caregivers run down the hill to get them! There is never a dull moment with this dynamic duo.

Copper & Allie

Copper and Allie teach us that love has no bounds. As rescues from the dairy industry, these cows began to trust again at JP. Just turning 14 years this month, Allie is old enough to be Copper’s grandmother. Regardless of age, these girls have formed a gentle friendship. When Allie stays in her room to rest, Copper will visit her through the gate and show her affection with plenty of licks. They travel across the pasture to find each other and munch on grass side by side.

Life is better when we live it together. Share some love this Valentines Day by supporting and symbolically adopting one of these loving relationships at JP Farm Animal Sanctuary.

Looking for a delicious gift to yourself or to someone special? Consider ordering some cruelty-free chocolate from Trupo Treats with the code JPFARMLOVE for 10% off your order. This year, Trupo Treats is partnering with JP and is donating 20% of proceeds to support our rescued cows, pigs, chickens, and turkey. Give a compassionate gift today.

Would you rather adopt one of these sweet couples symbolically for a one time donation of $35 or become a monthly donor? Look at the various ways to become part of our community. Sign up for our newsletter, write to us, share our sanctuary with others, volunteer or donate through PayPal, Venmo, our Website, or Patreon in linktree.com/jpfarmanimalsanctuary

With warmth & love,
Ashley the caregiver

Would you like to be a part of the sanctuary community? Sign up for our newsletter, write to us, share our sanctuary with others, volunteer or make a donation.

Many cultures celebrate holidays around the Winter Solstice, the darkest time of the year. In spite of the darkness, we find little ways to remind ourselves that these long nights will pass and the cold will subside. We decorate trees, light candles, and illuminate walkways with string lights. We hunker down with our loved ones by the fire, warm drinks in hand. Although December holds the longest nights of the year, the month is brimming with warmth from our holiday cheer. After the holidays, we move forward through the winter encouraged by the promise of brighter days over the snow-covered horizon.

JP sanctuary, lovingly nicknamed Joy and Peace, exists to rescue animals from their darkest days. After seasons of neglect and abuse, our rescued farm animals find warmth and comfort in the light of Oscar and Lynn’s home. In this place of healing, there is a promise of brighter days ahead as they embrace new friendships and settle into an enriching routine.

Mozza, that’s me.

The power of sanctuary transforms everyone involved. The animals help us slow down and become truly present. They embody the grace and happiness of living for each moment. For those who are willing to observe, there are many more lessons being modeled at JP sanctuary. Copper, our newest dairy cow, reminds us with her endless licks to express gratitude and affection to the ones we care about. Ronnie the turkey reminds us to be confident in who we are (even if our feathers are hardly as magnificent as his). Mozza, our floppy-eared pig, reminds us to seize the moment with her spontaneous runs through an open meadow. After a year full of love, laughter, and lessons, everyone is preparing for a cold winter. As we hunker down for the coming months, we are warmed by the memories and support of all our friends this past year.

That’s Shirley and Pepper

As gifts are given across the world this season, a feeling of gratitude is exchanged. More than wrapping paper with bows on top, these gifts invigorate the community we’ve created as we embark on a new chapter together. Each year, sanctuaries give the gift of second chances. Our animals have been rescued from their darkest days, brought in from the cold of a world that viewed them as products into the warmth of the family we’ve created at JP.

And we’re Copper & Allie

Sanctuaries survive solely on the generosity of others. The gift we give to the animals is only possible through the gifts we receive by those who love them. This holiday season, help support the power of sanctuary. There are different ways to give a meaningful gift through JP Farm Animal Sanctuary today!

• Choose an animal to symbolically adopt! Will you choose Tallulah, our Scottish Highlander cow with sassy bangs and a craving for cookies; or will you choose Rudy, our newest rooster that has an appetite for adventure and loves being held.
• Contribute towards our winter stocking of hay. This donation supports every rescued animal on the farm, whether giving the gift of hay to eat or bedding to stay warm.

We hope everyone feels a sense of belonging and love this holiday season! May your days stay merry and bright.

Kindly,
Ashley the caregiver,

Would you like to be a part of the sanctuary community? Sign up for our newsletter, write to us, share our sanctuary with others, volunteer or make a donation.

Let us consider the origins of our Thanksgiving tradition. After the final harvest of the year, families came together to feast as winter loomed around the corner. They shared gratitude for overcoming a year of obstacles and celebrated moments of good fortune. With difficult months ahead, this holiday reinforced a sense of community. In a time before football was on TV and cranberry sauce came in cans, the focus of Thanksgiving was on our family and friends. How did we make this thankful experience synonymous with eating a turkey dinner?

Turkeys are far more than just vessels for stuffing. Turkeys are sentient beings, feeling an array of emotions and having distinct personalities from one another. One turkey may forge a strong connection with a caregiver, looking for cuddles, while another prefers to explore uncharted territory. These friendly creatures are emotionally and socially complex. After spending a few minutes with a turkey, you can learn to be intune with their mood. The muted coloring on the skin of a turkey’s head and neck showcases a calm, relaxed demeanor. On the other hand, bolder colors indicate bolder moods!

Sadly, in the mass production of animals, these vibrant individuals are exploited for profit. 68 million turkeys are slaughtered in preparation for the holiday season alone in the United States. Confined to four square feet of space each, over 15,000 turkeys live in the same coop. Filthy and overcrowded, humans will clip their beaks and claws to stop them from lashing out in anguish at one another. Turkeys are specifically excluded from the Humane Methods of Slaughter Act, meaning they are conscious and afraid upon execution. Although they can naturally live for as long as a decade, turkeys raised in factory farms are killed between 12 to 14 weeks as hens, or 16 to 19 weeks as toms. This is a short fraction of their natural lifespan. How did we stray so far from the core values of Thanksgiving?

Instead of being a table’s centerpiece, turkeys are the center of attention at JP Farm Animal Sanctuary! Ronald the turkey, or Ronnie for short, is an important member of the JP family, and serves as an ambassador to turkeys everywhere. This Thanksgiving, you will find Ronnie displaying his beautiful brown and off-white feathers with his new friend, Rudy the rooster.

That’s me with Rudy the rooster

Throughout the year, Ronnie has been grieving the loss of his best friend, Bernard the turkey. Ronnie & Bernie arrived at their forever home together, and quickly became a part of each other’s flock. To help mend a broken heart, Lynn and Oscar have invited Ronnie inside their home to be part of their human flock! As one of the few special people with a turkey for a roommate, Lynn shares some insight into Ronnie’s day to day antics. “Ronnie can be vocal and likes to watch everything that is going on. He is sweet but can also be a bit stubborn at times. He now gobbles when Ace barks as a visitor arrives. He wants to be part of the family and will follow me around the house.” This Thanksgiving season, let us return to the roots of this thankful holiday. Together, we can redefine our holiday traditions to incorporate love and compassion for all living beings in our community!

With warmth & love,
Ashley the caregiver

Would you like to be a part of the sanctuary community? Sign up for our newsletter, write to us, share our sanctuary with others, volunteer or make a donation.